Counterfeit Gods

In Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller writes a simple yet poignant proposal to our innate desire to make good things the ultimate thing. While we easily recognize bad things are not God-worthy, the pursuit of good things can assume the image of the divine. Keller further ponders whether the Creator of all things should subjugate to the very things He created as fair?
Keller’s view of God may seem narrow as described from the crucible of New York City residents, flush with choice amid personal pursuits, cultural fittings, and peer impositions. Yet the tired explanation of idols in a modern context assumes new iterations of family, power, sex, money, and all else, geared toward pride, is exposed under the temporary and shifting position of personal perspective of “what works.” He proposes that a counterfeit is a temporary solution for a present situation, but a real God will not allow anything but what His desires dictate. Keller delicately and sensitively understands the culture he sympathetically decries, yet questions whether that cultural bent should dictate who God is. His conclusion allows readers to ponder personal choices without fault and to consider what lasts: a God who seems old by description but steadfast when all else crumbles.

Thank God, He is not counterfeit when it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Thank Mr. Keller for exposing our tendency to make wrong bets! -- Pastor Daniel Perkins, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

Book Jacket:

Success, true love, and the life you’ve always wanted. Many of us placed our faith in these things, believing they held the key to happiness, but with a sneaking suspicion they might not deliver. The recent economic meltdown has cast a harsh new light on these pursuits. In a matter of months, fortunes, marriages, careers, and a secure retirement have disappeared for millions of people. No wonder so many of us feel lost, alone, disenchanted, and resentful. But the truth is that we made lesser gods of these good things —gods that can’t give us what we really need. There is only one God who can wholly satisfy our cravings— and now is the perfect time to meet him again, or for the first time.

The Bible tells us that the human heart is an “idol- factory,” taking good things and making them into idols that drive us. In Counterfeit Gods, Keller applies his trademark approach to show us how a proper understanding of the Bible reveals the unvarnished truth about societal ideals and our own hearts. This powerful message will cement Keller’s reputation as a critical thinker and pastor, and comes at a crucial time—for both the faithful and the skeptical.